SMU Associate Professor of Political Science John Donaldson shared his views on the impact of a Donald Trump’s presidency on US domestic and foreign policies, in particular Asia policies. He noted that Trump has promised great change, including US foreign policy towards most major parts of the world (including Asia). He stressed that Presidents have great latitude regarding foreign policy, adding that Asian nations should take this seriously. On whether Trump will really push through the policies that he promised to implement during his campaign, Associate Prof Donaldson opined that Trump has always been short on consistency when it comes to his foreign policy, leaving analysts confused as to whether he would be a strict isolationist in the mould of “Fortress America” or willing to intervene aggressively, such as his promise to ‘carpet bomb’ ISIS in Syria. However, Associate Prof Donaldson pointed out that either of these approaches threaten to upend the status quo and lead to greater instability in the region.